Does Dieting Work?

Many people want a quick fix to their weight problem and instead of dieting rather chose to go under the knife through liposuction or stapling their stomachs. This to me is an extremely painful and unnecessary life choice.

Others jump on the band wagon of the latest dieting craze, drinking only soups, cutting out one thing or the other from their diet and end up getting frustrated when nothing seems to work. They end up with the false belief that they can never have the body that they desire and that they are destined to be overweight. This is a false and negative belief and a sort of self fulfilling prophecy. If you believe you can never lose weight, guess what, you will never lose weight.

The problem is not that they can't get results - it's that they keep looking for a quick fix to a problem that has probably taken them years to acheive. Nobody puts on weight overnight. It is the consequence of years of inappropriate life style choices. In the same manner you cannot lose weight overnight. It takes consistent and persistent determination

Most people fail to get the results they want because they fail to follow a proven system to the end. They lose out because they keep trying to take shortcuts, or they keep choosing the fad, or gimmicky programs that come out each year - as opposed to choosing one which has been proven to work by hundreds of thousands of others. I would advise that you do your own research about the diet that you want to follow, be satisfied that it has a proven track record and then follow it to the letter. If you are really serious about losing weight then you should be serious with your chosen program.

In choosing your dieting program it is advisable that you chose one that is sustainable and includes what I call normal food.I am an ardent believer in meal replacements because that is what I used to lose weight and reduce from a size 22 to a size 14. But the programme I followed included eating at least one sensible meal a day plus two healthy snacks. Drinking only liquid foods to lose weight cannot be sustained. You may lose the weight but immediately you resume your normal eating the pounds will pile back on.

Excercise is also important. You CAN lose weight without exercising but if you want it to be sustainable and life changing then you have to add some form of regular exercise to your regime. You can incorporate it into your lifestyle; take the dog for a walk, park your car further away from your office, use the stairs instead of the lift, take up gardening etc.

Below are a few motivational tips that I found useful on my dieting journey.

• 1. Visualise what you want to look like. I cut out pictures from a magazine and made a composite image of what I wanted to look like size wise. This is helpful in keeping you focussed. Stick it up on your kitchen wall so that any time you go to the fridge to get a snack or a meal you will remember what your goal is and decide what to eat accordingly.
• 2. Be persistent and consistent. Determine to follow it through come what may. We are only human and sometimes we are tempted beyond measure and fall off the wagon. It doesn't matter. Get up, dust yourself off and resume. Persistence is the key. Never never, never give up.
• 3. Surround yourself with positive people who will support you. The programme I used had personal one on one coaching which helped me through the tough times. Seek out others who desire a healthy lifestyle and who are determined to acheive it. Make sure that they are doers and not just talkers.
• 4. Have a definate goal. How many pounds do you want to lose. Write it down and work towards it. Break it down into doable smaller steps. Reward yourself after each milestone.eg- Have your nails done, buy yourself some gift; preferably not food based
• 5. Dont take dieting advice from people who are not fit and healthy themselves.

• 1. Eat more frequently!! Five smaller meals spread throughout the day will help kick start your metabolism and thus help in the weight loss. This is where the right type of meal replacement can come in handy for those of you who are pressed for time and are unable to prepare healthy meals so frequently.
• 2. Eat protein at every meal including breakfast. Ideally every meal should contain a good balance of proteins and raw vegetables
• 3. Watch the type of fat you are eating. Fried foods are a no go area. Margerine and hydrogenised oils are also off bounds. Use olive oil and flaxseed oil instead.
• 4. Reduce starch to one portion a day and dont eat that portion during your evening meal.
• 5. Drink sufficient water. At least eight ounces for every 20 pounds of body weight. See the page on water. Avoid fruit juice if possible. It is not possible to determine the number of fruits and therefore the quantity of sugar that went into the juice.

Want to know what other diets are out there. Check out some of them

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